Combination screened door



May 26, 1959 G. H. THERIEN COMBINATION, SCREENED DOOR Filed May 10, 1957 mmvm GEORGE H.THER|EN ms ATTORNEY.

United States Patent i 2,888,071 COMBINATION SCREENED DOOR George H. Therien, Baltimore, Md. Application May 10, 1957, Serial No. 658,388

2 Claims. Cl. 160-92) This invention relates to closures for openings and doorways in buildings and other structures, and particularly to the front doors for same; and has among its objects to provide a new and improved construction that will avoid some of the objections and limitations of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved door structure for a building that will have a panel construction adapted to swing open, leaving a screen section in place to operate as an obstruction to the entrance of insects, and unauthorized individuals, when the door is closed, but allowing communication with the latter through the screen. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved panelled door having a vertically hinged panel capable of being swung open on the hinged side of the door proper and held in place, yet allowing the door proper to be opened and closed freely, without interfering with the proper functioning of both.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a new and improved building door in a wall having in general, a conventional construction, with an upper panel installed capable of being opened i'nthe same way and held independently of the door proper yet without interfering with its opening and closing, and enabling a stationary screen to be installed at the panel opening, through which communication can be had between parties on opposite faces of the closed door.

Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully described.

The conventional door commonly used at the entrance to a house or building is intended to provide for the convenient passing in and out of individuals who have a right to do so. During summer months when the temperature rises to an uncomfortable degree, it is customary to leave the door open so the air can circulate freely through the house Then to prevent thepassage of insects into the house, an outside screen door is also installed, and opened and closed, as a secondary door. This is not so convenient, as it requires the opening of both doors, at the same time, in order to let the user pass through. Also it incurs additional expense. If the doors are hung at difierent sides, as frequently occurs, the trouble of opening the doors at the same time greatly increases, particularly if the user is carrying a load in his hands, while passing through. Then when there is a high wind outside, the screen door, opening as it does in an outward direction is apt to be caught by the wind and damaged. There is also the continual danger to children that use the double door arrangement, such as having their fingers caught in the jamb; having the door opened against their faces, and in other ways. The maintenance of the doors is an increased factor. Noise induced by extra slamming of the screen door is another objection. Storage of the screen door, and its annual installation and dismantling, is burdensome and expensive.

In this invention these objections are avoided. Only one door structure is needed. A solid panel is provided 7 its opening and the user to talk to Patented May 26, 1959 ice in the upper half of the door and hinged towards the same side of the door, and opens the same way. In the same opening, for the solid panel, a screen is inserted and serves as a window, enabling an individual inside to see and talk with an individual on the opposite face of the door, outside of the building.

This screen is fastened rigidly in place and serves as a barrier, so access cannot be made through it. The solid hinged panel includes a mechanical unit that is fastened to a slidable holder on its free edge. The movement of the door on its hinges operates it. The holder is secured to a channelmounted' on the wall or extraneous support and serves to hold the solid panel open. The various positions of the door when opening bring the arm 19 correspondingly to different angular displacements while the traveler slides along the channel 20 to suit. When open, the panel permits the air to circulate freely through those outside. The closing of the solid panel closes the opening in the door and is locked in place. This is done at night, during cold days and on other occasions where it is so desirable.

The arrangement of the door in this manner makes it very convenient, as it avoids the necessity of opening the whole door when answering a call, and it affords safety against obnoxious intruders, who might desire to force their way into a house.

The cost of manufacturing the new type of door can be kept to a lower figure than one using door and screen door units together because it economizes in material and labor. It is more adaptable than the conventional form of door as it has the combined qualities of a solid door; a screen door and a protective barrier. The solid panel may be of glass or other translucent material.

For a better understanding of the invention and its objects reference is made to the attached drawings wherein a particular form or" its construction is shown by way of example.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the inside face of a door, embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rear face of the Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the reference to the door, the use of the adjectives, inside and rear, is done arbitrarily, as custom has not established which should be correct. The terms could, just as appropriately, be reversed. The door is provided with a mail chute 31, as it can be used for the mail without a screen door interfering. In the mechanism employed for the holder, referred to later, a spring 28 is attached to tension it, and is made with a hook or ring that connects with pins 26 set on the channel and traveler. A spindle 21 pivots the arm 19 of the holder to the traveler. More specifically, the construction of the parts of the invention follows: In Figs. 1 and 2 is shown the front and back faces of a door of conventional form and relatively flat to conform with a type following a modern design. Its framework is not shown, but is understood to be of conventional construction set in a wall. The door 14 swings on hinges 15 mounted in the framework, and has a lock 16 on the opposite side to hold the door closed. The door 14 has an opening 17 in its upper half to take a vertically swinging panel 18 mounted on hinges 30. This panel is in a relatively large opening adequate enough to allow individuals to see and talk through the opening when the panel is swung open. It is hinged on.

the same side or edge as the door. A suitable catch 24 enables the panel to be held closed. Adjacent the hinge edge of the panel is mounted a journalled member 11 with holes 12 through which pin 13 projects to pivot an arm 19. This arm 19 is arranged to extend beyond the edge of the door and panel and end in a traveler 22. The end portion of the arm in the traveler is likewise pivoted so the arm may tilt thereon. The traveler has a widened base 23 which runs in the recess of a channel 20. The traveler is dovetailed in the channel guide and permits the arm 19 to adjust itself as the panel is opened. The channel 20 is fastened to the surrounding wall (not shown) or other support at the side of the door proper 14, and held there stationary. The panel preferably does not take up the entire thickness of the door, as a screen 25 in a frame is also fitted in the opening 17 and secured in there by clips 27. The screen serves as an obstruction to limit the inward movement of the panel.

The screen is protected by a suitable grille 29 on the outside. To facilitate the movement of the hinged panel, a spring 28 is attached to the traveler and the guide 20. This places a tension on the traveler tending to keep the panel open when unlocked. When the panel is open, the holder consisting of the member 11, arm 19, traveler 22 with spring 28 and guide 20 keeps it open. The guide 20 may be of magnetic material so as to hold the traveler by magnetic attraction. In this instance, magnetism in the :guide induces the traveler to adhere firmly to it, but not permanently. It may be detached when sufiicient force is applied to do so, in a conventional manner. It is optional, as to whether the spring is used at the same time, or not. Without the spring, the magnetic arrangement will hold the traveler so as to retain the door panel in any degree of opening selected. With the spring, it is preferable to include the spring 28, in conjunction with the magnetized guide 20, its tension normally set to suit the situation, by facilitating the movement of the traveler in one direction by overcoming the magnetic drag and in the opposite direction to add to the drag. The traveler is operated and reciprocated as the panel 18 is swung on its hinges and actuates the arm 19. The wall adjacent the doorway may be parallel to the latter or at right angles, as the holder can be adjusted to suit it and will operate satisfactorily.

In the operation of the device, assuming that the door is installed in its conventional framework, in a wall, the user unlocks and opens the panel 18. The opening 17 is now disclosed with the screen 25 and grille 29 covering it. The user can now converse with anyone at the outside of the door, as well as see him. As the panel is opened, the arm is forced towards the guide 20 and its traveler 22 runs inside of it and is brought to the end of the run by the tension of the spring 28. The panel is out of the way. If the user desires to open the door 14, he can do so without interfering materially with the panel, as the holder will become adjusted to suit the various angles of the door. This is made possible by the flexibility of the journal member 11, the arm 19 and the other parts of the holder. The spring 28 is not essential but does make the operation easier. The panel may be kept open to allow the air to flow through into the house, yet at the same time the door proper is kept closed. The screen and grille serve as a barrier against intruders, yet does not prevent the air circulation or capacity to look through them.

It is not intended to limit this application for Letters Patent, other than required by the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination with a doorway in a wall or the like; a hinged door proper adapted to close said doorway; said door including a relatively large opening therein; a screen panel anchored in said opening for filtering insects and the like in the air circulated therethrough; a solid panel of the same size as the screen panel, hinged to the side of said opening and arranged to swing on its hinges from closed to open positions and in planes parallel to that of the door proper; a mechanical unit connecting the said solid panel with said wall and including a journalled member attached to said solid panel adjacent to the hinged side thereof; said member including holes with a pin therethrough; an arm linked at one end portion to said member and pivoted on said pin; a traveler similarly pivoted at the opposite end of said arm and including a lateral extension; 21 channel mounted rigidly on the wall and encompassing said lateral extension and serving as a retainer and guide therefor; the channel, traveler, arm and member on the solid panel being aligned with one another to enact together to produce a reciprocating travel in the traveler and adjust the angular movement of the arm to the amount of closing and opening of the solid panel; said movement of the solid panel being maintainable independently of the door proper as well as cooperatively therewith; said channel being adapted to maintain the traveler steady while the arm is positioned at a selected angle.

2. The same as the preceding claim and in addition, the channel including magnetization to facilitate the restriction of reciprocation of the traveler and the maintaining of the solid panel in the selected angle while the door proper is opened and closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 688,750 Stake Dec. 10, 1901 1,251,833 Straub Ian. 1, 1918 1,573,194 Roe Feb. 16, 1926 1,701,202 Dudley Feb. 5, 1929 2,363,021 Steele Nov. 21, 1944 2,604,156 Lil'lethorup July 22, 1952 

